AHA summer training program

The American Heart Association Cardiovascular Research Summer Scholars Training Program (CRSSTP) at the University of Florida provides support for 5 undergraduate students per year to gain exposure to cardiovascular research. Our program theme, which seeks to advance the mission of AHA is to utilize engineering strategies to address challenges in vascular health. The scholars selected for the CRSSTP will conduct research in cardiovascular engineering for 10 weeks during the summer. The goal is to encourage students to pursue advanced degrees and careers in cardiovascular science. The research projects available at UF are diverse and the program includes mentors from materials science and engineering, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, and the college of medicine. In addition, summer scholars will participate in various professional development activities, including graduate school application prep and writing workshops, research ethics and lab safety seminars, tours of cardiovascular and clinical laboratories, and networking opportunities with faculty, clinicians, graduate students, and other visiting summer students. Scholars will also receive support to attend a national conference to present their summer research. This opportunity is ideal for students interested in pursuing advanced degrees in biomedical sciences and engineering fields and who are interested in the area of cardiovascular science.

Eligibility

• Student applicants must be enrolled at a 4-year college or university. Students may also complete the fellowship immediately following graduation.

• Students must commit to attending the full 10-week program and devote ~40hrs/week.

• At the time of application, the student must be a United States citizen, or foreign national holding a student, exchange, or permanent resident visa, including an F-1, H1, H1B, J1, PR, or TN. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status requires additional AHA approval to apply.

• Students of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, including those who are underrepresented in medicine, from disadvantaged backgrounds, first generation students, and students with disabilities.

Key Dates

The timeline for summer 2025 will tentatively be as follows:

November 2024: Application opens for Summer 2025

February 2025: Application Deadline

March 2025: Applications reviewed, selection decisions made, and applicants notified

April-May, 2025: Onboarding of Summer Scholars for Summer 2025 program

May 26, 2025: Start of Program and Program orientation

Aug 1, 2025: End of Program and Research symposium

Compensation

Students will receive $6,000 (prior to taxes). Housing is the trainee’s responsibility as housing is not part of the summer fellowship package.  Students may live on-campus and the cost of dorm housing will be deducted from their stipend. Students will also receive up to $3,000 to support travel to a scientific meeting to present their work. 

Summer Program Dates

The summer program will run from Monday, May 24, 2025 through Friday, August 1, 2025.  Participants must commit to the program for its duration.  Participants can expect to engage in lab and program activities for approximately 40 hours per week. Leave, absences, or vacations are not permitted during the 10-week research experience. We ask that vacations take place before or after the program start and end dates.

Application

All applicants must complete the online application and upload all required documents listed below via the online application portal. All required documents must be loaded as PDF formatted documents.  If you have any questions regarding the application, please contact the program director, Dr. Josephine Allen at jallen@mse.ufl.edu

We are no longer accepting application for Summer 2025.

Required documents include:

• A statement expressing applicant’s interest in the UF-AHA CRSSTP.

• A statement describing the applicants current or previous research experience

• A current copy of transcript from each college or university the applicant has attended to date (unofficial copies are acceptable).

• Two letters of recommendation from a faculty member, lab coordinator and/or employer, are required. Letter of recommendation should be e-mailed directly to CRSSTP@mse.ufl.edu by the recommender, with the applicants name in the subject line.

• A CV/résumé including employment, education, research experience, awards, honors, and publications is required. Please also include the names/titles of those providing letters of recommendation.

Statements should be no longer than 1 page. Please make sure that you have all required documents ready to upload when completing the on-line application. Applications will not be considered complete until all required information and documents have been received via the online portal. The CRSSTP Selection Committee will review all applications that have been completed by the deadline.

Selection criteria will be based on the applicant’s overall application.  While previous research experience is not a requirement, preference will be given to applicants who have had experience in a research lab. Particular attention will be paid to the applicant’s research interest statement, and if the applicant has expressed the goal of obtaining an advanced degree in biomedical or engineering sciences, as well as their interest in the area of cardiovascular science.

Program Leadership

The program director of the CRSSTP is Josephine Allen, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Co-sponsors of this award include, Dr. Walter Lee Murfee, Associate Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department; Dr. Thomas Angelini, Professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, and Dr. Dmitry Traktuev, Associate Research Professor in the Division of cardiovascular medicine. The leadership team are all actively involved in cardiovascular disease research.